GROUNDNUT SOUP
The
Hausas are said to be one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa.
Mainly located in the Sahelian areas of northern Nigeria and
southeastern Niger, many of them equally live in parts of Cameroon,
Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan. Predominantly, Hausa communities
are
scattered throughout West Africa and on the traditional Hajj route across the Sahara Desert.
Research also shows that several Hausas live in coastal cities like
Lagos, Accra, Kumasi and Cotonou, as well as parts of North Africa like
Libya. It is however pertinent to note that most Hausas are
concentrated in small villages and in terms of cultural relations, the
Hausas are culturally or historically close to the Fulani, Zarma, Kanuri
and Gwari groups. Many have however intermixed with the Yorubas and
the ibos .
When you come to what goes into the mouth of the Hausas, their most
commonest food consists of grains such as sorghum, millet, rice, or
maize, which are ground into flour for a variety of dishes.
The food is popularly known as tuwo in the Hausa language. Never mind, in subsequent editions, we ‘ll be looking at these!
Beans, peanuts, and
milk are also served as complementary protein diets for the Hausa people.
Usually, their breakfast consists of cakes made from ground beans, so
never minds the use of words
like ‘kosai’,’funkaso’,’ koko’,’ tuwo
da miyan taushe’’daddawa’ – infact the list is endless.... These are all
delicacies that the Hausas cherish a great deal. Even though the
Hausas eat meat, never make a
mistake of serving them PORK MEAT. Why? You may ask, pork is from pig and the religion abhors this ...
Well, our focus in this edition is GROUNDNUT SOUP!
GROUNDNUT SOUP
Botanically known as ARACHIS HYPOGAEA, groundnut is grown profusely in Northern
Nigeria
( hope you remembered the days of the GROUNDNUT PYRAMID). Though
this happened many years ago, yet the Northerners are very good at
preparing soups using either fresh, roasted or fried
groundnuts.Groundnuts seeds are harvested for their oil and high protein
content.. These seeds can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted or pureed for
making groundnut soup. One beautiful feature of this soup is that there
is no need to add any oil. The groundnut oil extract from the soup is usually used for the cooking.
Let’s visit the kitchen!
Recipe for 5 servings
2 kilograms chicken, meat or fish
1 large onion (diced or chopped)
10 large fresh tomatoes
Salt and seasoning to taste
3 cups fresh or roasted groundnut (dehusked)
4 fresh red pepper
Water for cooking
Small bunch of any vegetable (optional)
3 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 large dried fish (optional)
Small amount of ground ginger and garlic
METHOD
Make
sure the groundnut is devoid of sand and sandy particles. Grind or
blend into powder, ( although some people like to blend into a puree
adding somewater). Set the groundnut powder or paste aside. Meanwhile
wash your chicken , meat or fresh fish, (for this meal we are using
chicken but you
can make do with any other meat you like.) Season
with salt, seasoning, chopped onions, ginger, and garlic. Add a little
water and bring to the boil. Allow to cook until slightly tender. Blend
the tomatoes and add to the cooking meat, including all the other
ingredients. While all these are simmering, add the groundnut paste to
the meat, and rinse any remaining paste with water and add it in. Cover
and simmer until you notice that the oil is floating over the top of
the soup. Once you observe this, then the soup is ready! You can add you
shredded vegetables, (remember its optional). Serve with, tuwo, rice,
fufu, banku, or any meal or swallow you like.
Enjoy your meal!
